Angul: The death of one more elephant in the state was reported Tuesday, taking the toll to six in this month. The incident was reported from Tikarpada forest range under Satkosia Wildlife Division in this district. Sources said that the five-year-old tusker was ailing for the last 10 days. Though officials of the Forest department had spotted the calf, they failed to provide treatment as it was surrounded by a herd.
They managed to provide treatment from Monday, but the elephant did not survive and died the same night. However, the exact cause behind the elephant’s death will only be known once its post-mortem report comes, said Satokosia divisional forest officer (DFO) Saroj Panda. Sources did not rule out the involvement of poachers. It should be stated here that Crime Branch officials helping the SIT team probe into the deaths of elephants had found a carcass Monday in Mandap reserve forest in Gopapur section of Badamba.
Prior to that an ailing tusker, which had sought refuge in a pond at Samplahara in Badasahi range under Sambalpur forest division, died hours after it was brought out of the water body June 21. A tusker which was shot by alleged poachers a few weeks ago in Narasinghpur range of Athgarh forest division, succumbed to injuries June 14.
The 10-year-old tusker had multiple gunshot wounds on its body. The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police exhumed remains of two elephant carcasses from Athagarh forest range June 2 and 3. The elephants had died due to electrocution and their bodies were buried in order to conceal their deaths, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests M Jogajayananda had said, adding that six persons including a forest guard and three trackers have already been arrested in this connection.